~ insanitybytes

Troll Love

A troll on the internet is “one who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument.”

Over the years I have actually developed a deep admiration and appreciation for trolls, not the mean-spirited kind that simply sow pointless chaos and engage in nasty personal attacks, but those who actually champion free speech by saying provocative things and pushing the envelope.

I call this trolling for brain cells, as in those dedicated to making people think. They don’t always get it right, sometimes the ideas they present cross the line from provocative to simply ugly and annoying, but sometimes there are some real treasures hidden in their words.

We have a troll locally who has popped up a few times, attempting to comment on newspapers, facebook, and a couple of websites. He is often quickly deleted, but I have caught site of him a few times and he has caught me off guard and made me laugh. He is definitely a “he,” as in a bit rough around the edges and boldly plain-spoken. He often says things I, and I know others, were actually thinking, but dare not speak of in polite company.

Free speech is not so “free” these days and this guy has really driven that point home by challenging what is so ironically labeled as “tolerance.” The other day he posted, “When are you going to get over your deep-seated man issues and start enjoying life?” I about sprayed coffee all over my computer screen, and while the response to him was “disgusting, deplorable, and misogynist,” he really nailed it and sent me into a fit of laughter.

That really was the root of the issue, some deep-seated man-issues attempting to manifest themselves as public policy. Like the anger, contempt and resentment was so palpable and yet people were acting as if they were just being virtuous, noble, attempting to create social justice that would in fact be anything but “just.” I truly wish we had never invented the saying, “the personal is political” because no it is not, sometimes the personal is simply personal. Not everyone’s personal craziness must be manifested into mandated social change and enforced compliance.

IB is not a big fan of forced compliance and endless social mandates. In fact, I tend to get a bit defiant over the paper bag tax, the banning of disposable coffee cups, and light bulb restrictions.

So, today I am expressing some troll love, some deep-seated admiration for the mischief of the trouble makers who dare to push the envelope for a nobler cause. Make no mistake, there must be something nobler about your cause, something I can recognize as a desire to set fire to some critical thought, with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument.”

That’s a really good point. It kind of reminds me a garden hose with a knot in it. We’re being squeezed, politics are becoming narrower, but acceptable social behavior is getting very broad. That’s a bit crazy making. 🙂

I’m beginning to love trolls. I used to hate them. They’re so insensitive. But outLR entitled society is getting too sensitive, so I think some cage rattling is becoming quite necessary. That’s why I’m beginning to love entertainers like Steve Crowder, provocateurs like Milo Yiannopoulos, and journalists like Gavin McInnes. They are loud and aggressive, and while they often cross the line, I’m becoming quite fond of it.

I saw a tweet recently in which someone said they were noticing a new trend which is basically summed up as the following: “It’s fun to offend people, and you can’t stop me.”

And I, along with others who had commented on it it would seem, thought “Yes. Yes, that’s exactly it.” In a culture where people are acting like it’s their right to never be offended, offending then becomes a necessity. No body has a “right” to never have hurt feelings, or to never hear legitimately stupid ideas. Even if what a person says is genuinely bad or insulting, no fully functioning adult has the “right” to be sheltered from mere words. That’s just asinine. So, the trolls are becoming my favourite part of the internet.

Awesome! It’s good to know a fellow troll admirer. You’ve really nailed it here, “In a culture where people are acting like it’s their right to never be offended, offending then becomes a necessity.”

Somewhat funny, but a while back someone accused me of trolling and I had to stop and think, “Uh, buddy, you’re on my blog!” I can’t troll my own blog! That’s when it really became clear to me that things were out of control. 🙂

I’m not revealing any secrets that he himself has not already publicly stated on that very blog, but he has a really horrendous abuse history from within the church beginning in childhood. That kind of thing can make you hate Christians, hate the church, and deny God Himself, and those aren’t easy hurdles to over come.